G-Poppers...June 2, 2017

Tomorrow evening, G-Pop’s granddaughter is graduating from high school. It has given him some pause for reflection.

His major concern is that she’s going to be confronted with two domineering monster philosophies, each demanding recognition as the sole means of human operation.

Religion and reality.

Unfortunately, both continually change shape and form, making it nearly impossible to determine validity. But does it really boil down to that?

Is it God or no God?

Is it belief or science?

Or is it possible to believe in science?

Or have a scientific belief?

Or even follow a God who is aware of His own limitations?

True faith is not the absence of human involvement–it is the perfecting of it. After all, Jesus himself told us that when we give, we will be given back to–but not by God. He said men will give to us.

Giving is such an important part of life that every human understands its power, and rewards those who follow the idea. Not everything comes from God, and not everything is unearthed from the pages of a science book.

G-Pop wants his granddaughter to know the beautiful balance–and it revolves around four questions, and the order of these inquiries is essential:

1. What do I have?

Nothing in life happens until you know what you have. Otherwise, you’re convinced that you don’t have enough, or worse, nothing. It’s amazing how many problems are solved simply by taking inventory on what is actually in our available cupboard.

2. What do I need?

Often we overestimate our requirements, and simply by cutting a corner here or getting a good deal on something, or coming up with a better idea, we find out we don’t need nearly as much as we thought. As you can see, so far there’s no need for anyone else but you and your own integrity.

3. What can I believe?

Faith needs some substance. It needs to be birthed from your own soul–not because someone tells you they believe you should believe. What can you believe for yourself, about yourself, with yourself?

4. And finally, what belongs to God?

We do fall short. There are times that we just don’t have enough, can’t decrease our need or maybe cannot muster the faith to cover the situation. At that point, a willingness to allow a prayer to invite the Spirit of God to join us becomes effective, fervent righteousness.

How can G-Pop convince his granddaughter that it’s not a choice between religion and reality?

Rather, it is simply understanding that some things we already have, other things we don’t really need, on other occasions our faith is sufficient, and when it isn’t, God’s grace covers a multitude of inaccuracies.